The volume of information, such as data or multimedia content, for example, exchanged in mobile radio networks based on packet transmission is growing all the time. Since requesting information using the keypad of a mobile radio receiver is not very convenient, it is possible to request the desired information using so-called push services. In this case, information is automatically delivered by a server to the mobile radio receiver without the latter having explicitly requested the specific data.
The mobile radio user typically specifies a group of topics or a general information field, according to which the desired information is then delivered to the user on his/her mobile radio receiver. In technical terms, push services are network-initiated point-to-point services.
The basic design of a possible push service system is described in the TR 23.974 specification of the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) organization.
Problems emerge, however, because the information transmitted using the push service is not delivered to the mobile radio user following an actual request by the user. Mobile radio receivers only have a limited storage capacity for incoming information. Problems therefore can arise because the sender of the information does not know whether he/she can still send the information to the mobile radio receiver.
Incoming information is usually indicated by the mobile radio receiver with the aid of an acoustic signal. If information is continually arriving in the mobile radio receiver, this constitutes an annoyance for the mobile radio subscriber. It is therefore desirable to find a way of receiving push services with which the user of this service is not constantly disturbed by incoming messages.
Moreover, with known push services there is the problem that, when a large volume of data is received, the user has difficulty deciding which data is important for him/her and which is less important. It is therefore desirable for the user of push services to receive the data in accordance with its relative importance.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an improved system for the transmission of data that has not been explicitly requested in a mobile radio system.
Accordingly, the system of the present invention for the transmission of data that has not been explicitly requested in a mobile radio system includes an application computer, a transmission network and a mobile radio receiver. The application computer may be, for example, an application server which sends the push services to the mobile radio receiver via a transmission network; for example, an Internet protocol connection.
The transmission network is a network which enables the connection between the application computer and the mobile radio receiver. The transmission network may be, for example, a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network.
The mobile radio receiver is a terminal which supports the use of push services.
If information is to be forwarded from the application computer to the mobile radio receiver, it is only sensible if the transmission network knows how much storage space is available to the mobile radio receiver to store push service information. For this reason, the mobile radio receiver indicates to the transmission network how much storage space is still available to it for storing the push services.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mobile radio receiver also indicates to the transmission network when no more storage space for data is available in the mobile radio receiver.
If the need should nevertheless arise to send information to the mobile radio receiver even though storage space is no longer available in the mobile radio receiver, there are basically two options. On the one hand, information not sent can be buffered. As soon as storage space becomes available in the mobile radio receiver once again, the buffered information is forwarded to the mobile radio receiver.
On the other hand, according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible for the mobile radio receiver to release already occupied storage areas for overwriting with received information. This is conceivable, for example, for storage areas to which less relevant information has been written. The user has the option here of defining which information he/she considers less important, or which particular storage areas are to be released for overwriting with more important information, respectively.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission network has a storage area for buffering data received from the application computer. The storage area may be any known type of known storage system. The information of the push service is forwarded from the application computer to the transmission network. If it is not immediately possible to forward the information to the particular mobile radio receiver, the information is buffered in the storage area. Thus, it is always possible to send data from the application computer to the transmission network. As soon as the mobile radio receiver is ready to receive again, the buffered data is forwarded from the storage area to the mobile radio receiver.
The forwarding of the buffered data depends on the information indicated by the mobile radio receiver. For instance, if the mobile radio receiver indicates to the transmission network that no storage is currently available for receiving information, then the storage area stores the data intended for the mobile radio receiver until the mobile radio receiver indicates to the transmission network that sufficient storage space is again available for receiving the data. The information is exchanged here via the air interface.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission network has a network computer which initiates the transmission of data to the mobile radio receiver. The network computer receives from the mobile radio receiver information relating to its available storage capacity. The initiation of a transmission by the network computer is performed depending on the information indicated by the mobile radio receiver. The network computer thus executes certain control functions in the transmission system. The network computer knows which data is buffered in the storage area, or which data transmission to the mobile radio receiver has not yet been executed.
The present invention also relates to a system for the transmission of data that has not been explicitly requested in a mobile radio system, in which the mobile radio system includes an application computer, a transmission network and a mobile radio receiver, wherein the mobile radio receiver notifies the transmission network of information relating to the transmission of data.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information of the mobile radio receiver indicates to the transmission network when the data is to be sent to the mobile radio receiver. For this purpose, the transmission network is notified of a time window which is best for the data of the push service to be sent to the mobile radio receiver. The background of this is that the user does not want to be continually disturbed by receiving the push services. As a result of this procedure, the user always knows exactly when new push service data may arrive. In this case, the mobile radio subscriber determines the time of transmission via an input on his/her mobile radio receiver. It is also conceivable, however, for the network operator to determine the time of transmission; e.g., depending on the network load.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mobile radio receiver transmits the desired time of transmission of the data to a network computer, which initiates the transmission accordingly.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information of the mobile radio receiver indicates to the transmission network the order in which the data is to be sent to the mobile radio receiver. If a user has subscribed to a number of push services, he/she can assign a particular value to each push service. If several push services arrive, the data is transmitted to the mobile radio receiver in accordance with their relative value; that is to say, with a higher or lower priority. For instance, it is possible to assign stock market information a higher priority than sports information. A new item of stock market information is then forwarded to the user more quickly than a new item of sports information. It is also possible for the network operator to specify the relative values.
The same applies analogously when a storage area is used to buffer information received from the application computer. The processing, or forwarding, of the buffered information is again performed on the basis of the relative values assigned to the push service to which the user has subscribed.
The buffered data is forwarded depending on the information indicated by the mobile radio receiver. The user thus determines in which way he/she wishes to receive the push services.
The network computer receives the information relevant for the time, or order, of transmission from the mobile radio receiver. The network computer thus executes certain control functions in the transmission system. For instance, it initiates the transmissions from the transmission network (i.e., the storage area), to the mobile radio receiver.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the figures.